Friday morning, near Pocono Mountain high school, investigators say a woman walking spotted a man that was likely Eric Frein, an expert marksmen and a suspect in an open firing charge that happened September 12th outside Blooming Grove State Police barracks.
The woman was walking around 9 p.m. in the town of Swiftwater and saw a man with a rifle and a muddy face near the road of the high school. Investigators have been looking for 31-year-old Frein for five weeks. The open fire that happened killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson and injured Trooper Alex T. Douglass.
State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens says Frein is familiar with the Swiftwater area because he attended high school there and worked some summers in the camp just west of there.
Bivens said "Frein is familiar with this area, as he had attended Pocono Mountain East High School, worked briefly at Sanolfi Pasteur and also worked several summers at Camp Minsi."
Investigators say the woman was not able to fully identify the man walking around as Frein because of the mud on his face. Frein is a trained survivalist and was thought to be hiding out in the Sylvan Pocono Mountains since the open fire.
From the time of Frein's disappearance, police have found evidence of his whereabouts with items they believed he's left behind. Some of these items include, diapers, a discarded rifle, ammunition and a number of pipe bombs he painted. They also say they found a "chilling" journal in the woods containing Frein's description of shooting the state troopers.
As many as 1,000 policemen, at times, have been sent out to try and track frein. Even though he left traces of his location in the woods, and multiple "sightings" have taken place, no one can seem to track him down. Bivens says this search is costing several million dollars.
Authorities are looking for a possible motive behind this crime. After collecting more evidence and finding other notes and even computer records, authorities say that Frein was planning this attack for years. They found evidence suggesting Frein hating law enforcement.
Authorities say they have Frein enclosed in a 5-mile radius. Within days of the shooting, Frein tried to call his parents home from a cell phone that was tracked to Monroe County, Officials say.
Bivens said police weren't recommending schools to be closed on Monday. The high school and all other district schools will be open Monday, said the Pocono Mountain School District.
If you live in or near this area, and see suspicious activity or a man fitting the description of Eric Frein, call local authorities.
